11.21.2012

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Breads + Rolls

Between the mashed potatoes, stuffings, rich gratins, gravy and desserts, breads can easily go forgotten as a Thanksgiving side dish. But there's something wonderful about a warm, steaming crescent roll, a flaky biscuit topped with melting butter, or a slice of slightly sweet zucchini bread studded with walnuts.

Make no mistake, bread is a means to an end on Thanksgiving. It's a vehicle to sop up gravy, cranberry sauce and, perhaps most importantly, serve as the bookends for an incredible next-day leftover sandwich (arguably the best part about Thanksgiving). Personally, I'm making the Buttermilk Ham + Cheese Biscuits (recipe below), filled with tiny bits of diced ham and nutty Gruyere cheese. If the photo to the right is any evidence, the day-after obligatory sandwich will be just as good as the day-of fixin's.

2. Buttermilk Ham + Cheese BiscuitsFood and Wine recipe writer Lee Hefter gets so caught up in cooking Thanksgiving dinner that he hardly has time to eat it. He has a turkey-and-stuffing sandwich on these biscuits while he's cleaning up.

3. Spiced Zucchini + Walnut Bread
Sabrina Henderson of Gardena, California, writes: "After 17 years of making dinner for my family, I don't cook as much as I used to. These days what I really enjoy doing is baking. Not only is it more leisurely, but people enjoy the results so much. About twice a month my husband takes some of my homemade cookies to his colleagues who always ask when I'm going to send something their way. The staff in the doctor's office where I work will often ask me the same thing. My zucchini bread is a special favorite. I joke with people and tell them I'll bring it in, but only if they behave."- Bon Appetit